Heir Rose

Garnett because of all the [expletive] he talks yet whenever he gets close to a fight he acts like a little girl.

I don't understand how getting older lessens the quality of talent they're getting in Jermaine and possibly Shaquille O'Neal. What matters is what these players produce on the basketball court, and Shaq will do more in 20 minutes than many 25-year-olds. These two add more length and rebounding ability inside, something they struggled with last year. Unless Pierce, Allen, and Garnett experience very drastic regressions this season, they'll be competing for a championship, although they'll face a tough path with Miami and Orlando.

I took the ACT's in June and got a 27. It was a horrible experience. Started out great with English, then the beginning of Math was pretty good, but after that it all went downhill... Science was quite a bit of guessing. On top of it all, I was extremely hungry starting on Test 2 and pissed my body weight at the break.

I didn't watch a lot of the Heat last year, and I'm wondering what Beasley's IQ is like? I know he can score really well, but does he have good court vision, make sound decisions, etc.? The Triangle demands pretty high basketball IQ and players that can pass well, which is why I think Darko and Love fit so well. Can Beasley fit that mold as well and be a solid playmaker, or will he just provide help in the scoring department?

There is never a price too high when it comes to Bon-Bon.

With the additions of Michael Beasley, Wesley Johnson, Martell Webster, Luke Ridnour, Nikola Pekovic, Kosta Koufos, and Lazar Hayward, as well as the subtractions of Al Jefferson and Ryan Gomes, Minnesota has made quite a roster shakeup. At a glance, this team appears to have gotten a whole lot deeper, and the added athleticism that the first three will bring is pivotal in the fast-pace offense that Coach Rambis will employ. My question is, what will the rotation look like? Minnesota has good depth at point guard, on the wings, and in the post, and many of their players have the versatility to play a couple different positions. This should give Rambis a lot of flexibility in determining his rotations, and expect a lot of competition with these players battling for playing time. Here's how I think things will shape up: PG: Flynn | Ridnour | Sessions SG: Webster | Ellington | SF: Johnson | Brewer | Hayward PF: Beasley | Love | Hollins C: Milicic | Pekovic | Koufos Kevin Love may be the best player on this team, but I have him coming off the bench. I remember he would even come off the bench when Al was hurt, and Rambis would start Hollins and Darko over him, and with Beasley in the lineup that may have to continue. Playing Beasley at the 4 gives the team more athleticism, and although he could struggle defending bigger posts, Love's defense wouldn't be an upgrade. Darko can be the shot blocking presence inside on defense, and on offense he'll help with his ability to outlet off a rebound, pass to Minnesota's athletic cutters as well as hit the open shooters, and provide a decent amount of scoring inside. The bench looks to be a good one. Ridnour is a solid distributor, Ellington's a lights-out shooter, Brewer had a much improved season last year as the starting 2, Love/Beasley (whoever comes off the bench) will provide a big spark offensively, Hollins is an energetic, versatile, athletic 5th big, and from what I hear, Pekovic is a talented low-post scorer, rebounder, and overall high energy guy. This lineup gets me really excited for next year, lots of new faces and it'll be interesting to see how Rambis manages everyone's minutes.

I don't understand the point of putting fake dialogue as the focal point of your article. The reason for writing it is that you believe that Kobe's competitive nature has made him excited at the opportunity to take down the new Big Three, but you don't support it with any factual evidence or real dialogue. I really don't think this kind of article serves any purpose, and the idea probably should've been scratched a long time ago when you were brainstorming possible topics. I believe Kobe's approach to this is that he knows it's going to take more to beat this new trio than it did to beat Boston, and he's probably going all out to prepare himself and the team this summer (same with Phil). I doubt that he's scared -- he's arguably the best player in the league, and has a pretty good supporting cast at his disposal -- and upon hearing the news it only motivated him and provided the intrigue of beating a team unlike any he's seen before. He's got to be really excited.

One of the best big threes in the game? Seriously? Just by looking at the display of team logos at the top, I managed to find at least 13 trios that were better than the Warriors'. I'd consider their "Big Three" to be above average at best. Neither of them excel on defense on a consistent basis, their offensive games are very good but certainly not enough to make up for that lack of defense. It's hard for me to peg where Golden State will finish next year. They lost a few good scorers, but with Lee they've got that added toughness inside on the glass that is critical against the bigs of the West. No more Maggette and Randolph means less scoring talent but probably better chemistry and more shots to go around for Curry and Ellis. I'm interested in seeing how Reggie Williams does this year. Not too long ago, he was the leading scorer in the NCAA at VMI, and he led the D-League in scoring last year. He dropped 28 in a game against the Hornets last season, and I could see him providing a spark offensively coming off the bench.

Other than Kirilenko, I don't see any run & gun 4's available at this point. Phoenix should hold onto J-Rich's contract for a while through the season, see how Hedo, Childress, etc. fit in, and make a decision then. They've made some considerable changes to the roster this offseason, and if things start looking bad then Richardson's contract could come in handy and net them a quality player.

From what I've read about him, it looks like the Timberwolves are getting a high-energy post that rebounds well and can score on the block. It doesn't look like he'll be much of a shot blocking presence, as he averaged 0.4 BPG last year in the Euroleague. Interestingly, Draft Express lists his best case comparison to Al Jefferson, the player he's in essence replacing. With Darko, Love, and Ryan Hollins, the T-Wolves look to have a decent front line next year that should excel in rebounding, but could be lacking in the scoring and shot blocking departments.

I don't understand how Simmons thinks anyone will be able to drive right in on the Heat because they have no shot blocker at the moment. When you've got two All-NBA defenders on the wings and a solid young defender in Mario Chalmers as well, it's going to be tough for anyone to get deep enough into your defense to challenge Bosh and (fill in center here). They should do just fine at filling out the roster. With James, Wade, Miller, and Chalmers, I think all they need now is a versatile backup that can play the 2 and/or 3. Raja Bell might be that guy, or perhaps they're high on Butler and plan on giving him early minutes. Another point guard for insurance would be nice -- what about Arroyo? At center, I don't think targeting one veteran big will be enough. Zydrunas Ilgauskus, Erick Dampier, and Brad Miller are candidates to fill the void. Ilgauskus would be a good fit because he's got the size you need and the ability to step out and hit an open jumper. The same can be said for Miller. Haslem and Quentin Richardson are a couple of other guys I've heard they could try to bring back, and both would be solid playing off of the new "big three."

Why aren't there any players above 6'9" in the NFL? I believe Marcus McNeill is the tallest or one of the tallest at about 6'9", but I've never heard of a player listed higher than that. Sure, most really tall guys pursue basketball with their height advantage and all, but I've been wondering what a 6'11" basketball player like DeMarcus Cousins would look like on a football field as a tackle if trained properly. Is part of the reason because their knees would get shot easier at such a great height?

In a draft where there is a clear-cut #1 (not saying he'll be the best, but right now he's clearly the best prospect) in a tier of his own, one that could be an elite talent and be that special player Kahn is talking about in his commercials, you don't pass up on that player to draft for a position of need. If your scouts believe that Wall is head and shoulders above the rest, take him; if they feel like he is overhyped and won't live up to expectations, and you trust those scouts, then draft Wall and trade him or take whoever is #1 on your board with the first pick. You may have a bit of a logjam at point guard with Wall, Flynn, Sessions, and later Rubio, but that's a good position to be in. By drafting the best talent available, you can always trade later on and clear your jam and acquire better value. If I were picking for Minnesota, I'd take Wall, and then try to trade Rubio's rights for another prospect in this draft. If they could pick up Evan Turner to go with Wall then they'd have a strong scoring tandem in the backcourt for years to come, but if the team in the #2 slot isn't up for it then I'm sure they could get someone to buy at #3, 4, or 5. Derrick Favors would be a help defensively for the T-Wolves by adding an athletic power forward that they haven't had since KG, and they could then trade an unathletic big man of their choice between Jefferson and Love. Maybe they could swing a sign and trade to acquire Rudy Gay for Jefferson? How would the following be in terms of getting the athletic, talented players Rambis will need next season? PG: Wall/Flynn, SG: Brewer/Ellington, SF: Gay/Gomes, PF: Favors/Love, C: Milicic/Hollins. Htown, you mentioned that Turner would be a better pick for Sacramento. I disagree; he and Evans are both versatile guards that can play anywhere from 1-3, but are both best suited as a shooting guard. Neither has good range on their jump shot at this point, so playing them together would allow opposing defenses to sag off and clog the paint. Wall would be the better fit with his amazing speed in the open floor, and would be a better matchup defensively with his athleticism and quickness -- I imagine it would be much harder for a 6-6 Turner or Evans to keep point guards out of the lane on a consistent basis.

It looks like Hill's been learning to sell the call in San Antonio. I haven't seen anything extreme tonight, but he seems to overexaggerate the foul at times, like when Dirk tried to stop him in the corner to get #4 or when Butler ran into him to get the tech, which I didn't think was deserved. Eh, I don't really like it.

I've been checking out OTR more recently in the past week or so, but my activity is contingent on how closely I'm following basketball, and I've been working more and spending time on other things. For me, it's not about what you're doing that's keeping me from posting, it's about what I choose to do with my time, and I just haven't been paying much attention to the NBA lately.

What a frustrating week for the Timberwolves. They've gotten a good amount of rest before both Wednesday's game against Dallas and tonight against Houston, the fanbase is riled up because of March's 50% off season ticket sales for next year, and so much positive energy has been surrounding the team. They lose a close one against a great Dallas team and then made a push in the 4th quarter to get back into the game, but once again couldn't finish. Tough end to what's been a very promising week. Love once again stepped up big off the bench, where he'll continue to start the game from for the rest of the year it seems. While Jefferson's been playing poor (had a three game stretch of 10/5 or something like that) and dealing with off the court issues, Love's been a double-double machine and has stepped up his game and role with the team. Darko contributed 9 rebounds and 5 assists, but only scored once on 5 shots. Rambis and the team wants him to become more aggressive on the offensive end, but Milicic has been hesitant to make himself a serious scoring threat. At least he's creating in other ways with his rebounding, interior defense, and passing ability. Speaking of passing, that was one of the bright spots tonight for the Wolves. Milicic, Love (4), and Hollins (2) combined for 11 assists. Milicic has done a good job finding the open cutters in the post, including an impressive touch pass to Ryan Hollins for the slam. Love more than makes up for his lack of athleticism in the transition game with his ability to start the break, as he was continuously looking for and finding the long pass. I remember two instances where he got the ball after a board to a streaking guard; once to Ramon Sessions for a dunk, and the other time to either Brewer or Wilkins (might've been both; I remember Brewer got called for a travel one time which might've taken away an assist opportunity for Love). He was still looking for it even after the Rockets scored when he was taking the ball out of bounds. It's the little things the Love does that make for easy baskets and make him a championship-type player in my eyes. Ryan Hollins has really been stepping up his offensive game lately. He started off hot against Atlanta last week, and tonight went 7 for 7 with a few dunks for 15 points. His faceup game is developing nicely, and he's got a solid jumper. The Wolves had good balance offensively (5 guys with 14+ points), but shot at a low percentage. Had they played better defense on Brooks (25), Martin (30), and Scola (25) as well as boxed out better (Scola also had 21 rebounds), they might've come out of Target Center with a win and a good finish to a week that's been getting a lot of hype from the Wolves' front office. Making better rotations would help too, as the Rockets were able to get 30 assists.

The Timberwolves could go into the draft with three first round picks, as they own Charlotte's (lottery protected, although nbadraft.net still has the pick going to the Wolves ) and Utah's (top-17 protected) first round picks. Most importantly, they will have a lot of flexibility due to needs at every position but power forward and point guard (and if Wall's on the board, they're not passing on him), and their plethora of picks will allow them to move around and/or get pick up some assets/cash via trade. Assuming they keep their picks, let's discuss who should be in the running for their respective first round selections. Starting off with the #2 pick, which they're slated to get right now, the debate comes down to Wesley Johnson and Evan Turner. Turner has excellent size and ball handling ability, making him a versatile scoring threat. His jumper is a work in progress, but once he develops that aspect of his game, he should be a complete offensive player. Johnson is the complete opposite type of wing player, as he relies more on his athleticism and jump shot to be effective. He's not yet developed a strong game off the dribble, and he seems to have more bust potential than Turner in my eyes. I like Turner more because he adds a guy that can create on the perimeter, something the Wolves lack outside of Johnny Flynn. At #11, I like a few of the bigs in this year's crop. Cousins is probably out of reach, and I see him as a "dump the ball down low and isolate" type, a constant double-double threat that Minnesota already has with Jefferson. What the Wolves need are players with a high basketball IQ to fit the Triangle Offense, preferably with length and athleticism. Greg Monroe is my favorite of the three that I believe could be around at #11, as he is smart, talented, and has good post skills. He's got NBA size, and with two years under his belt at a reputable school like Georgetown, he'll be more ready than most of his peers. Minnesota is struggling to rebuild its fanbase, and it can't afford another 20-win season after this year. Progress needs to be made, so any player that can step in right away will be valuable. Donatas Motiejunas of Lithuania is exactly the opposite of NBA-ready, as he is 19 years old, needs to bulk up, and has poor defense. He draws comparisons to Andrea Bargnani, but I also think of Pau Gasol, who is a great fit in the Lakers' Triangle Offense. Motiejunas is versatile offensively, as he can pass, shoot, dribble, and score inside, and he's also quick and agile. Considering the Wolves already have a top-five pick all but locked up, taking a flyer on him at #11 would be well worth the risk. Finally, we get to Cole Aldrich. Aldrich makes me think of Kevin Love because of his high basketball IQ, rebounding ability, and ability to hit a jumper. He's also got 2+ inches on him, and would add a strong anchor in the paint defensively to alter shots next to Jefferson and Love. I don't see any star potential in him, but he could be a great fit as a role player in the Wolves system, and doesn't seem like he'll turn into a bust. A very safe pick. Finally, we get to the third and final pick of round one. Many things are going to change in this area between now and the draft, so I'll just mention a few names without going into much detail: Solomon Alabi is an athletic shot blocker and rebounder that could be a solid role player in the future, Stanley Robinson is an athletic hustle player that every championship team would love, Paul George of Fresno State is a low-risk, high-reward wing with great size and athleticism, and Willie Warren of Oklahoma was once touted as a potential lottery pick before a poor sophomore season with the Sooners. Maybe he could turn it around with the Wolves. Alternatively, they could choose another international player to stash overseas with Rubio and Nikola Pekovic, or even sell the pick for cash, which has happened a few times recently in this range with other teams. This draft is a solid one for big men, and the Wolves should try to come out of the draft with a solid rebounder/shot blocker like Aldrich or Alabi, or an offensive-minded big with good intangibles like Motiejunas or Monroe. With their top five pick, drafting a scorer is a must, as Corey Brewer can't be your PPG leader on the wings for much longer. The beauty of this draft is that for the Wolves, it's not "Wall or Bust," as Johnson/Turner would actually fit their needs even better. As long as they don't get one of those guys, I'll be a happy camper. :glasses:

John Wall is a can't-miss talent, and if you have the number one pick you draft him and alter whatever plans you previously had in place to accommodate him. This year's draft is weak on point guards, so the Wolves could then trade Rubio or Flynn to a team like Sacramento in a deal to get their lottery pick and grab a big like Cole Aldrich (Minny native), Donatas Motiejunas, or Greg Monroe, three guys who could fit in very well next to Al Jefferson and Kevin Love and display the skills you look for in a triangle offense. Of course, one of those guys could be around when the Wolves have their second lottery pick (via Charlotte), so a trade may not be needed. Getting the #2 pick could almost be just as good for the Wolves. They would probably draft Evan Turner of Ohio State to play shooting guard, then pick up one of the above-mentioned bigs with Charlotte's pick, and if they're willing to spend, they could get Rudy Gay in free agency. When Rubio comes over, they could have him be a facilitating point guard and feed the ball to Jefferson, Gay, and Turner, and Flynn/Love/Brewer/Gomes? would lead a potentially strong bench. I'm beginning to love the Rubio pick, because he's got a lot of star power and marketability, making him an attractive player to build with in Minnesota or use as trade bait to get another player that fills their needs.

Now that I've been watching the Wolves a bit, Brewer's scoring ability does look solid. He can shoot and create off the dribble a little; he may not be a 20 PPG guy, but he's got the ability to create and once the Wolves get some better personnel out there he could be a very solid role player.

I didn't see any of the game since it wasn't on FSN North, but Milicic's debut apparently went well. He had an efficiency of +35, amazing. Another low-scoring performance by Jefferson, he put up 10 for the second consecutive game. His rebounding has went downhill this month, as he's reached double-digits only twice in February out of 8 games. It seems the post rotation is looking sketchy right now, but I read on StarTribune.com that Milicic will have the ability to play with Jeff, Love, or either of the Ryans, adding some flexibility to the rotation. His size, shot blocking ability, and jump shot make him a great fit for the T'Wolves. Ryan Gomes puts up a largely unimpressive 0-9 performance, but Damien Wilkins and Corey Brewer helped shoulder the load with 18 apiece. Love and Flynn also threw in 19, giving Minny 4 guys near the 20-point mark.

Milicic adds size to the T'Wolves frontcourt and can stretch the floor with his jumper. He'll help out the league's worst shot blocking team (only 191 on the season) on defense, but I don't expect more than a potentially solid role player. If he's ever going to reach his potential, I think you'd have seen the signs by now. He'll be put in a great situation to showcase his talent in Minnesota, but in all likelihood he's in Europe in 2011.

If the Timberwolves come out of the draft with Turner and Alabi, I will be ecstatic. Corey Brewer and Ryan Gomes have both been averaging double digits, but that's more because of a lack of scoring ability throughout the team than their own talent. They need a true 20 PPG scorer on the wings to go with Jefferson's efforts in the post and Flynn at point, and I've seen Turner be compared to Brandon Roy (oh, how things would be different had he not been traded). Minnesota is suffering from a lack of talent on the wings, so Turner would go a long way in improving that area. I don't expect anything offensively from Alabi other than offensive rebounds and putbacks, but he has the potential to be an anchor in the paint and give the Wolves a much needed shot blocking presence. At #17, that's good value.

I believe what makes this different from past NFL job offers is that Carroll would get to have control over staffing and personnel decisions. This article from ESPN.com covers the reasons why he'd be interested in a return to the NFL pretty well: http://espn.go.com/blog/Pac10/post/_/id/6939/is-carroll-headed-to-seattle If going back to the NFL means that much to him, he should do it. He's accomplished a lot in a decade with USC, and it seems like he's ready for a new challenge. In Seattle he's got an opportunity to shape the organization the way he sees fit, starting with two first round draft choices. It's not a great job, but compared to Detroit, Cleveland, and Oakland, he could do worse. If things don't work out, I see him coming back to college football and building a team up to a championship contender, much like Nick Saban did with Alabama.

With two losses already, and in my opinion a less talented roster, the Cleveland Cavaliers should be the Celtics' preference in the Eastern Conference Finals. They are a very good defensive team, they can score both inside and out, and they will bounce back once Delonte West returns and Shaquille O'Neal starts to gel with the rest of the team. Still, I think that the Magic are a better team with Howard, Carter, Lewis, and Nelson, and would cause more problems for the Celtics than Cleveland would. For the second poll, I picked the Washington Wizards. They appeared to have done very well against the Mavericks, and Arenas seems to be back on track. Washington looks to be a great offensive team, and though they'll give up a lot to the Celtics they could score enough to challenge them. Chicago doesn't have Ben Gordon anymore, and his outstanding performance in last year's playoffs series can't be duplicated by the Bulls' current group of guards.

I accidentally voted for Carter for the second option; I meant Howard. I think Carter will eventually become the #1 scoring option. He's a great playmaker that's versatile with the ball and can do many different things offensively. Howard's not very advanced in his post moves, and I believe he could be contained like in the Lakers' series if teams play him right. I want the ball in Carter's hands, and let him drive, pull up, set up a teammate, or run the pick & roll with Dwight because I think he would be tougher to stop due to his versatility.